Pf«ii V y /| 
 
 f4 1 
 
 g:.\ 
 
 
 
 fr 
 
 1 1 
 
 y V vvaf 
 
 V whaSai 
 va \ \ '. 
 
 
 jl 
 

 
 JAPANESE FA IRY TALES , NS 7, 
 
 5f| JR r ? b n' If 
 
 ttl IS A I m iff s S S )I! ® 5* BS \ 
 
 jg f£ ® ? |CTO = Sffi^B^T %L ®£ 
 
 Published by the KOIB ITZLSTSjEi^ 
 
 ' 2 Minami Saegiclio’ I OK I O. 
 
v-sznr 
 
 long time ago there was an 
 old man who had a big 
 lump on the right side of his lace. 
 One day he went into the mountain 
 
 
! 
 
 to cut wood, when the rain began to 
 | pour and the wind to blow so very j 
 
 I ' 
 
 hard, that finding it impossible to ; 
 return home, and filled with fear, he 
 took refuge in the hollow of an old 
 tree. While sitting there doubled up 
 and unable to sleep, he heard the con- 
 fused sound of many voices in the 
 distance gradually approaching to 
 where he was. He said to himself, 
 “how strange! I thought I was all 
 alone in the mountain but I hear the 
 
 voices of many people”; so taking cour- 
 
 * 
 
 rage he peeped out, and saw a great 
 
 
crowd of strange looking beings. Some 
 were red and dressed in green clothes; 
 others were black and dressed in red 
 clothes; some had only one eye; 
 others had no mouth: indeed it is 
 
 quite impossible to des- 
 cribe their varied 
 and strange 
 looks. 
 
They kindled a fire, 
 so that it became as 
 light as day. They 
 
(T" ' 
 
 I 
 
 j 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 1 and began to drink wine and make 
 merry just like human beings. They 
 passed the winecup around so often 
 that many of them became very drunk. 
 One of the young devils got up and 
 began to sing a merry song and to 
 dance; so also many others; some 
 danced well, others badly. One said, 
 “we have had uncommon fun to-night, 
 but I would like to see something 
 new”. The old man losing all fear, 
 thought he would like to dance, and 
 
 saying “let come what will, if I die 
 
for it I will have a dance too”, crept 
 out of the hollow tree, and with his ( 
 cap slipped over his nose and his 
 axe sticking in his belt began to 
 dance. The devils in great surprise 
 jumped up saying, “Who is this”; 
 but the old man advancing and re- 
 ceeding, swaying to and fro, and 
 posturing this way and that way, 
 the whole crowd laughed and en- 
 | joyed the fun, saying, “how well 
 I the old man dances, you must al- 
 ways come and join us in our sport; 
 
 E 
 
but for fear you might not 
 come you must give us a 
 pledge that you will”. 
 

 So the devils consulted together and 
 
 agreeing that the lump on his face, 
 which was a token of wealth, was 
 what he valued most highly, demand- 
 ed that it should be taken. The old 
 man replied, 
 
u I have had this lump many years 
 and would not without good reason 
 part with it; hut you may have it, 
 or an eye or my nose either if 
 
 you wish”. 
 
So the devils laid hold of it, twisting 
 and pulling, and took it off without 
 giving him any pain, and put it 
 away as a pledge that he would 
 come back. Just then the day began 
 to dawn and the birds to sing, so the 
 devils hurried away. 
 
 The old man felt his face and 
 found it quite smooth and not a 
 trace of the lump left. He forgot 
 all about cutting wood, and hasten- 
 ed home. His wife seeing him, ex- 
 claimed in great surprise “ what has 
 
 l 
 
happened to you”. So he told her 
 all. that had befallen him. 
 
 
Now among the neighbours there 
 was another old man who had a big 
 lump on the left side of his face. 
 
 Hearing all about how 
 
the old man had got rid of his lump, 
 he determined that he would also 
 try the same plan to get rid of his 
 lump. So he went and crept into the 
 hollow tree and waited for the devils 
 to come. Sure enough, they came 
 just as he was told. They sat down, 
 drank wine and made merry just as 
 they did before. The old man afraid 
 and trembling crept out of the hol- 
 low tree. The devils welcomed 
 him saying, “the old man has come, 
 
now let us see him dance” This old 
 man was awkward and did not dance 
 as well as the other. So the devils 
 cried out, “You dance badly, and are 
 getting worse and worse, we will 
 give you back the lump which we 
 took from you as a pledge”. Upon 
 this one of the devils brought the 
 lump and stuck it on the other side 
 of his face; so the old man returned 
 home with a lump on each side of 
 his face.